CARADOC:
Oh, good day. I'm off to the baker. Gruffudd is his name. A notorious character. Do you know he's the only person allowed to bake bread in our village? Anyone caught baking bread themselves would be branded, you see. Most uncomfortable crime, and indeed a punishment to fit. But I have pandemain and paynmain, the finest white. Let's see if he's in.
NARRATOR:
Many of the foods we take for granted were yet to arrive in Europe. With no potatoes or rice to eat, bread was the staple food. Each family would grow their own wheat and then get it ground down in the mill.
Shot of Caradoc and Gruffudd inspecting ground wheat. As with everything else in the village, the mill was owned by the lord of the manor and the peasants would have to pay to use it.
CARADOC:
Indeed, indeed. And when shall I come and collect my loaf?
GRUFFUDD:
Oh, four hours.
CARADOC:
Four hours, yes. Splendid. Just enough time for when the tavern opens, I fear. I thank you, baker.
GRUFFUDD:
Good day to you.
Shot of Gruffudd kneading dough.
NARRATOR:
The baker also paid the lord of the manor for the right to be the only person in the village allowed to make bread. With no competition, the baker could do more or less whatever he wanted. Sometimes, they'd keep the best flour for themselves and put anything from dirt to ground acorns in its place. It's hardly surprising that the baker was often one of the most despised people in the village.
Shot of Gruffudd shaping dough into balls.
Shot of Gruffudd scoring balls of dough.
NARRATOR:
Once they'd been kneaded and left to rise, the round balls of dough were placed in a specially built oven. Like all the land and other buildings in the village, the ovens were owned by the lord of the manor. The baker would pay him rent, usually by providing bread for the lord's table.
Shot of Gruffudd opening oven door.
NARRATOR:
These ovens would also be used to dry corn and smoke meat and fish.
Shot of Gruffudd placing balls of dough in oven.
NARRATOR:
Once cooked, the bread would be taken out of the oven using a wooden paddle. The finest white bread was made from sifted flour and called paindemain. But most villagers had to make do with the brown loaves called maslin.
Shot of Gruffudd removing baked bread from oven.
NARRATOR:
Whichever kind of flour they had, the main problem for people like Caradoc was quite simply how to pay the baker.
CARADOC:
Hello, baker, I have come to collect my bread.
GRUFFUDD:
Caradoc. Your bread is all prepared for you.
CARADOC:
Oh, splendid. I shall just take it, then.
GRUFFUDD:
No, no, no. I'm afraid you can't. You owe me money.
CARADOC:
Yes, of course. Money. Uh, now, where did I put...
NARRATOR:
Although money existed, in rural areas, most people would have paid by barter. This meant trading produce in return for goods and services.
Shot of Caradoc holding tally stick. Each person's accounts were recorded on a tally stick.
CARADOC:
I hope we can come to some arrangement on this.
GRUFFUDD:
I cannot supply you any more until you pay.
CARADOC:
Look, cut to the chase, baker - what do you wish?
GRUFFUDD:
Well, let me think. You owe me about 8 pence. I believe your lucky charm is valued at about that.
CARADOC:
You... you can't be serious.
GRUFFUDD:
Yes.
CARADOC:
My lucky charm is worth at least 20 of your loaves.
GRUFFUDD:
I tell you what - let me have the charm. It covers your debts. If you can find me the money by the end of the month, you can buy it back.
CARADOC:
OK, I shall loan this charm to you, then, on the basis I shall pay my bill upon the end of the month.
GRUFFUDD:
I will split your stick.
CARADOC:
Ah, splendid, splendid, splendid.
NARRATOR:
Splitting the stick meant the account had been settled. Each person would then keep half to act as a receipt.
CARADOC:
I shall see you before the end of the month but I will collect my charm upon the end of the month. Thank you, baker.
GRUFFUDD:
Nice doing business with you.
Shot of fire burning in a hearth.
Shot of people eating at a table.
NARRATOR:
The medieval diet was extremely limited. Bread was eaten at every meal. Supper was the main meal of the day and consisted of a thick soup called potage, made of vegetables and beans. Occasionally, people would have meat, but they weren't allowed to eat it on Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays. The Church ordered that these were fast days. Fish, however, was allowed and became a vital part of the diet, especially for those living near the coast.
Shot of woman cooking fish on open fire.
NARRATOR:
In peasant homes, women did all the cooking. The fire filled the house with smoke, but by sitting on low tables and benches, people could avoid the worst of it. Even a simple meal would take a long time to prepare, so making supper would begin early in the afternoon.
Shot of woman frying eggs.
NARRATOR:
The pots were made from thick iron. The cutlery was usually pewter, but sometimes made from bone. And if you ever wandered where the expression 'a square meal' came from, you need only look at the shape of the wooden plates.
Shot of ale being poured into a jug.
NARRATOR:
Tea and coffee were yet to arrive in Europe, so people lived on milk and ale. This was made from barley and drunk by everyone, including young children. With such a poor diet, most medieval people suffered from malnutrition. But if life was hard for everyone, it was particularly tough on women.
Shot of fire burning in a hearth.